Chinese Man Grows Nose on His Forehead

A man from China's Fujian province has had a new nose grown on his forehead following a traffic accident last year, according to BBC.

The 22-year-old man suffered severe nasal trauma and his subsequent treatment caused his nasal cartilage to corrode. Surgeons came up with the idea of growing a nose on his forehead. The infection corroded away cartilage, making it impossible for surgeons to repair his original nose.

His new nose was created by medical staff at at hospital in Fuzhou, Fujian province. Doctors used a skin tissue expander placed on his forehead to create the shape, and planted cartilage from his ribs to produce the structure. After nine months of growth, surgeons say that the nose is in good shape and the transplant will be performed soon.

The practice of using flaps of tissue from both the forehead and cheek to reconstruct a severed nose was begun in ancient India, where facial disfigurement served as a form of punishment, according to Dr. Robert X. Murphy, president elect of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. "They were very far advanced in using the forehead skin to refashion a semblance of a nose," Murphy said.

The Sushruta Samhita, a Sanskrit text, described the surgical tools, herbs and techniques necessary for nasal reconstructive surgery, and offered this bit of advice to practitioners: "Operation without trembling, fear, or doubt are always praiseworthy of the surgeon operating." The text is attributed to Sushruta, a physician who is believed to have lived about 600 BC. In a paper on the historical impact of these Indian methods, lead author Dr. Larry Nichter, a plastic surgeon in Newport Beach, wrote that the basic techniques laid the foundation for modern plastic surgery.